Here Paul Craig, the photographer behind Ripples bathrooms, explains how to nail those bathroom shots for your Instagram…

Get the light right:

You might want to get your whole bathroom in the shot but sometimes taking a huge wide shot, isn’t the best shot. Don’t be afraid to crop through the bath, the shower, or even the basin. When it comes to Instagram it’s best to focus on one aspect. Sometimes less really is more. Also turn off the flash before you start to shoot, bathroom lighting can be tricky unless you have a nice big window, I find that the lights we have in our home can often add a yellow tinge to pictures, while cool white LED lights can look stark and cold on shots, so it’s best to shoot in natural lighting.

Lining up the shot:

One of the big differences in professional photos is that we spend a huge amount of time trying to line up the shot. Many people mistakenly shoot at eye level and point the camera down to try and get what they are seeing in shot. Avoid pointing your camera down into the sink or the bath –the inside of a bath or sink isn’t as interesting as the shape of it, instead, try moving the camera down, maybe even getting down to the same level as your subject.

Reflections:

By far the most challenging aspect of taking a picture in a bathroom is the amount of shiny things on show. Everything seems to be reflective, including the shower screen, the flush plate, the taps, the tiles, the window and not to mention the mirrors! As much as I try to avoid being seen, sometimes it’s impossible. Now I’m lucky as I use all sorts of fancy technology that enables me to take my photos remotely in the room next door, eliminating myself from the equation, but I still have the camera to consider, no one wants to see the camera reflected in the shower screen or the mirror, so try a few alternative views – see the previous point about shooting lower, that way you may avoid the mirror above the basin.

W: ripplesbathrooms.com